Human pancreatic carcinoma in continuous culture is being used as an experimental model to investigate 3 areas of all of which considerable work has been done in this laboratory. 1. Purification of a tumor-related antigen is underway. This antigen has been identified and appears to be immunologically identical to oncofetal antigen. We plan to develop a radioimmunoassay for this antigen and proceed to do large scale testing of human sera. The effect of the antibody to the antigen will also be tested on the growth and tumorogenecity of MIA PaCa-2 in nude mice. 2. We have identified two proteolytic activites in cultured MIA PaCa-2, a plasminogen activator and a membrane protease. The latter will be purified and its role in tumorgenecity and tumor invasiveness will be assessed. 3. Extensive screening of chemotherapeutic agents will be performed on the cultured cells. Drugs found to be effective on growth will be examined in depth for their effects on the cell cycle, and various metabolic aspects of the cells. Particular attention is being given to the potential role of glutamine antagonists as anti-pancreatic cancer agents.